The Dusky Lure
by Vesta Reed
Summary: Young Bre is forced to sneak onto a legendary pirate ship crewed by the most ruthless captain in all the seas of her lands. Will she be killed upon capture or will she perhaps find out just how inaccurate legends can be?
1. The Dusky Lure

The sea raged as Breuvial snuck her way below deck of the Dusky Lure. She had been swimming for hours and even though she knew the price most paid for sneaking onto a pirate ship, let alone this particular pirate ship, this was the first boat she had seen since she had swum from the sinking wreckage of the Lucent Burke. She was just a commoner and had been sailing on the ship to the island of Stacoff with her family to get away from the raids in their hometown. They had had no choice really; their king had ordered them gone as soon as the raids had begun for their own safety. But now all of Breuvial's family was lost to the see, drowned, impaled by the splitting ship, or eaten at by the merciless teeth of a kraken.

Myth liked people to think that there was only one kraken in the entire sea, but it was not so. Krakens were seen in various locations at the same time and were many different colors and even though they looked very similar in the shadows of the sea, Bre would never forget what this one looked like, she had never seen one before now, but losing her family to it had engrained the image of those deathly eyes staring back at her as it devoured her father and brother.

She had swum away from the disaster as quickly as her small fifteen year old arms and legs could carry her. But she was exhausted as she pulled herself through a small open window and onto the empty deck of the hold. Everyone was above, on the main deck, being that it was peek time for fishing and the water was most cooperative at this time. Bre had to think fast, but her mind wouldn't let her. She just kept seeing those horrific images and feeling the fear that the kraken or other sea creatures might be right below, ready to eat her as she swam, was still fresh in her mind. She had lived with those fears ever since she had been thrown into the water.

Taking in her surroundings she knew that this was the pirate ship of legend. The Dusky Lure was known throughout all the lands of her country. It was inhabited by ruthless buccaneers who took no prisoners, but simply killed those in their path. They had no mercy for the young or the old and were ruled by the most evil Captain in all the nine seas, Captain Pykke Darden. He was said to be 7 feet tall, tanned skinned and had a beard as long as his hair and actually kept a wench as his Lieutenant. The thought of a woman controlling the crew when the captain was away and being second in command while he was there, seemed laughable to all the men who heard the legend. It was said that she was a withered hag by now who had spent one too many nights in her captain's bed to be anywhere near appealing to any other man.

Bre crawled on her hands and knees below deck listening closely to the feet that pounded above her and the calls shouted out by masters and boatswains, those responsible for the ropes, sails and anchors of the ship. She crawled quickly past the open hole that lead to the main deck above, not looking; not wanting to see those who would surely kill her if she was caught. She moved to a support beam and pulled herself to her weak feet, shocked that her legs would support her this much. She pulled her long blonde hair away from her round face and tried to find any place where she might hide. Her common cotton dress clung heavily to her shift and her skin that was nearly frozen and numb from the water she had been in all morning. Her petite form couldn't take much more physical excursion. She knew if she was caught she would not be able to put up a fight.

Suddenly footsteps approached the opening and shoes appeared on the latter leading below deck. Bre panicked, not finding anywhere to hide, she crossed her fingers, uttered a short prayer and opened the door nearest her and went inside, quickly, but quietly closing the door. The room she had entered was thankfully not occupied, but her mind was not eased, for it was obvious, even to her inexperienced eyes, that she had just entered into the Captain's cabin. A large desk with writing quills, ink, paper, maps and other assorted things was set by the large window. Tables with fruit and drinks sat on either side of the room and there were two doors that lead to other rooms other then this main one.

Hearing the footsteps approaching outside, Bre turned back to the closed door and saw the handle begin to turn. Not knowing what to do Bre allowed instinct to take over, telling her that she needed to get out of this room no matter what, she ran to the door on her left and opened it at the same time as the first door to the Captain's cabin was opened. She closed this one just as quietly as the first and looked frantically for a lock. There was a small brass button that when pushed would lock the door, Bre quickly pressed it. Walking backwards in terror, Bre's legs hit something soft and her weak legs buckled, sending her back onto a large warm bed. Her eyes widened as she looked around the room.

"Oh, God." Her voice was a whisper. She had hoped this room would not be the Captain's bed chambers, but she was not that lucky. The large crimson colored bed linens covered the enormous bed which took up a large portion of the room. A privy was off through another small door in the corner and a small vanity type piece of furniture stood opposite the bed. The curtains were dark and the room was not well lit at the moment. Bre heard the footsteps again. Fearing for her life, she made her legs hold her as she stood and as she heard a key click into the lock and saw the button pop out, signaling the break of the seal. Figuring her best bet was to follow her current strategy, she ran into the privy and closed the door, finding there to be no lock on it.

Her breathing sounded far too audible in the darkness of the privy and she felt tears stream down her cheeks. She heard the footsteps move immediately to the privy and saw the handle turn. She looked around her in panic; she had run out of doors.


	2. Legendary Pirates

Captain Pykke opened the door to his private privy to find a young girl, soaked through her cloths with her head down and her eyes closed

Captain Pykke opened the door to his private privy to find a young girl, soaked through her cloths with her head down and her eyes closed

Captain Pykke opened the door to his private privy to find a young girl, soaked through her cloths with her head down and her eyes closed. Lieutenant Jenny Kidd looked over his shoulder at the pitiful creature in front of them.

"I drew my sword for this?" Bre heard the disappointed voice of a strong woman.

"Shut it Jenny." Bre trembled, she was about to look up until she had heard that name. Jenny, Jenny Kidd, the Lieutenant of the Dusky Lure, but she didn't sound like an old haggard wench. "Look at what's before you child and prove to me that you're not already dead." Bre swallowed against the lump in her throat and slowly opened her eyes. They landed on a pair of shiny leather boots and another set that were smaller and far more worn. Moving her eyes up slowly she found one set of legs clad in tight black velvet breeches and a sword latched to a belt, along with a holster holding a brown pistol in it. The other set of legs were clothed in dark brown breeches that were made of a more common material and Bre found the leather boots to reach up to the wearer's knees. The Captain wore a white shirt covered with a darker one and a grand Captain's coat made of a deep blue color. The Lieutenant wore only one layer; a white shirt tied at the waist and opened low to reveal that she was indeed a woman.

Bre was afraid to look at their faces, thinking if she did she would be killed, but disobeying this man's orders would most likely get her a worse fate, she though. Looking up into the faces of these two legendary pirates, she was fair shocked. Her eyes were not met with anything that she had expected. Captain Pykke Darden, was indeed broad shouldered and well muscled, but he didn't stand any taller then six foot two inches and even though his beard was almost as long as his hair it seemed, he wasn't old or even that threatening looking at the present time. His hair was a very dark shade of brown under his captain's hat and reached to his shoulders with a full beard that hung only slightly from his chin and went up to his hairline and framed his mouth on all sides. He looked rather young for a man who had acquired such reputation and legend.

As for the pirate Jenny Kidd, she revealed everything that Bre had ever heard about her to be completely false, other then the fact that she was a woman. She was not old at all and looked younger then the Captain. She was trim and fit and had the bust of a young woman who could appeal to any member of the opposite sex, or even the same sex for that matter. Her face had not a single wrinkle on it, but strong features that showed her to be a woman of power, and she appeared almost like a noble, that is if she wasn't decked out in pirate's gear. Her short crimson hair had a hue of purple to it and was cropped to shag just below her chin. Her eyes were brown accented by a brown bandana she wore over the top of her hair.

"Are you hurt?" The Captain's voice was not at all ruthless sounding, but held a type of bored concern. Bre shook her head, even though her negative answer to the question was a lie, she hurt in so many ways.

"Can you talk?" Jenny asked, her voice less inviting then the Captain's. Bre nodded an affirmative. "But apparently we are not worthy enough to hear you speak?" Bre looked up startled.

"No!" She tried to speak out, but her word quickly turned into a coughing fit. Her lungs hurt in her chest and she couldn't breathe properly. She felt tired and dizzy and confused and dehydrated. She bent her head as she coughed.

"I'll take care of her, Pykke. I'll inform you how everything is later." Pykke nodded and left the privy and then his cabin. Bre couldn't stop coughing, she was panicking inside and out; Jenny was going to 'take care of her', that could only mean one thing. Bre watched out of the corner of watering eyes as Jenny drew a small knife from her belt. Bre cried and coughed hysterically as she waited for the inevitable. When Bre felt a slight pull on her hair she closed her eyes tighter, wishing for it to just be over. After several seconds a hand was laid on her back and she opened her eyes to see a tanned hand holding a small wooden cup filled with water in front of her.

"Take a few deep breaths and drink this in between coughs. If you cough it back up that's fine, but you're dehydrated and need water." Bre took the water from the hand and did as she was told. After a few sips and deep breaths her coughing ceased and she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand which was still partially numb. As Jenny filled the cup again from a sink with a water pump beneath it, Bre looked to see the knife Jenny had pulled impaling a dead sea spider that was laying on a bed of seaweed. She had used the knife to kill the spider that had been in her hair, clinging to the seaweed that had been entwined it her blonde locks. Jenny handed the cup back to her and watched her drink it slowly. "Feel better?" Bre managed to find her voice.

"Y-Yes. Thank you." Jenny smiled slightly, showing surprisingly clean and straight teeth.

"You're welcome. In case you haven't realized, I'm not going to kill you, frankly that's not my call, that's the Captain's." Bre's eyes widened. "But I can tell you with the utmost certainty that he has no interest in killing a stowaway common girl who has snuck onto our ship because she has been swimming in the open sea for hours on end."

"How…how would you kn-know that?"

"I'm afraid it's rather obvious. You're soaked through, dehydrated from swallowing too much salt water, frozen, dressed as a commoner and somehow still alive. That's the only real explanation don't you think?" Bre nodded. "Come on, you've got to get out of those cloths." Jenny picked up the girl as though she weighed no more then a feather and put her back on the bed she had fallen on only minutes earlier. "Now, you stay here and get out of those cloths and get under the covers and I'll return in a few minutes with something dry for you to put on." With that, Jenny left and Bre was alone again.

Bre undressed down to her shift and stayed perfectly still, sitting where she was, on the edge of the bed. When the Lieutenant returned with a handful of clothing, she frowned at the sight.

"Did you not hear what I said before I left?" Bre shrugged.

"It wouldn't feel right lying in a man's bed whom I don't know to be my husband or…or perhaps buyer." Jenny blanched, feeling as though she wanted to punch someone, hearing a fifteen year old common girl implying such a thing as being bought to be normal in her circumstances. Jenny pressed her lips together to calm her temper and threw the cloths on the bed. She moved to the girl and promptly stripped off her shift. "What are you doing!?" Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Be quiet, if you don't get out of these cloths you are going to die of hypothermia."

"Hypo-what?" Bre asked as Jenny motioned for her to take off her wet undergarments as well; Bre obeyed.

"Hypothermia. It's a sickness you can get and easily die from if you're too cold for too long." Jenny handed her clean underwear, that fit surprisingly well, and then a shift that didn't. Jenny tied the shifts straps in small knots to make it fit better and then wrapped the girl in an overly large robe made of the warmest material she could find. Jenny then pulled back the covers on the bed. "Now, no arguing. The Captain will not be upset by you getting well in his bed, nor will he expect anything of you because of your lying there, understand?" Bre nodded and climbed slowly into the sheets. They were silk and even though they normally held a cooling effect for their occupants, to the young girl they felt blissfully warm. Bre was then covered with a down comforter and rested her head against the fluffiest feather pillow she had ever felt. "Feeling warmer?"

"Yes, I-I do thank…you." She was still shivering as she spoke, but she did feel somewhat warmer already. The feeling was beginning to return slowly to some of her limbs.

"Now you stay here and try and sleep with my personal word that no one will disturb you or try and kill you while you sleep." Bre nodded and watched as Jenny left the room. Despite her fear not being fully taken away, the warmth and softness of the bed didn't leave Bre any hope of staying awake for more then a moment.


End file.
